It has been known in many R&D and manufacturing applications to utilize a clamp to hold a work piece in place while various tasks are performed on the work piece. It has also been known to utilize a robotic end-effector to pick up or grasp an object for R&D and manufacturing applications. For such applications, a typical system may consist of a robot or robotic arm, a change-out device secured to the robot arm and an end-effector releasably attached to the change-out device. The change-out device may typically be designed to accommodate different end-effectors for grasping or manipulating various work-pieces.
In many manufacturing applications employing gripping devices, the cost, size and complexity of the gripper may make its use undesirable. Where large machining operations are performed, specific fixtures typically are used to facilitate the machining and handling of specific work pieces. This may get costly as the number and type of work-piece needing to be machined or handled is increased. To achieve maximum productivity and efficiency, fixtures are custom made for the work-pieces. Such customization may speed production but will increase cost. Advances in manufacturing technology such as determinant assembly entail stabilizing a work-piece on a support fixture. Determinant assembly is a method of self-indexing of detail parts to each other to create an assembly. By using determinant assembly, parts can be assembled with a minimum number of tools. However, the tooling and machinery that are used to accomplish determinant assembly have been complex and capital intensive.
Thus, in the mass production and R&D industries, there may be a need for a gripper device to have the capability of grasping and securing several different types/shapes of work-pieces during a single manufacturing process. It may be desirable for a gripper device to be able to conform to the shape of any work-piece to be grasped or securely held. During work or manipulation of the work piece, external forces may be applied to the work-piece. The gripper may be capable of supplying sufficient force to keep the work-piece secure while work is performed on the work-piece.
It has been desirable to provide a gripping device that may be capable of conforming to the shape of any work-piece to be grasped or held in place despite external forces that may be impacted upon the work-piece. It has also been desirable to provide a gripping device and system that may be compact and capable of conforming to any work-piece while providing the necessary strength and stability to facilitate R&D and manufacturing processing.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a conformal gripping device, system and method that may be sufficiently useful, compact and low cost to be widely used in any R&D or manufacturing environment.